About the James Blue Alliance

In 2014, Richard Blue began developing the James Blue Alliance (JBA) to preserve and share his brother’s special legacy of pioneering participatory investigative media. The University of Oregon was selected as the primary center to archive the materials and provide a permanent resource for scholars, film-makers, students and others to access James Blue’s body of work.

The first initiative of The Foundation is to launch and fund The James Blue Archive. Much has been done by the Foundation and the Special Projects Library at the University of Oregon to organize and prepare the James Blue material for a formal bequest, now scheduled for early 2015. Two initiatives, The James Blue Archive and its follow-on Research and Learning Program will both focus directly on the material in the Archive.

Financial support for The James Blue Archive will help catalogue, conserve, restore, and offer for study the entire range of films, audio interviews, notes, historical documents and other materials now being reviewed in 100 boxes of material at the Special Projects Library. Please view the short Documentary sidebar to see the beginning of this journey to discover James Blue, made by Dan Miller and filmmakers at the University.

The companion program, Research and Learning, will begin after the Archive has been formally handed over to the University and funds have been raised. The JBA plans to make grants for innovative learning and communication that further the value of voicing, the beauty of image, the discipline of structure and story, the Socratic approach to communicating that characterize the essence of James Blue’s work. To this end the JBA will seek to partner with other organizations and foundations.

Respecting Diversity is planned as the Alliance’s first core, long-term outreach program. The initial project will focus on “The March, A Conversation.” This initiative will support showing the original film, The March, in every school across the country together with Conversation Guides to aid the discussion of history, filmmaking, culture and social media. The Alliance will also work with schools and school systems to incorporate this film as part of their on-going curriculum. The Alliance is seeking funds now for the development of this program. If you would like to help or donate, please contact us.

Emerging Filmmakers is a program which recognizes and supports film-makers in the U.S. and abroad whose work exemplifies James Blue’s commitment to “giving voice to the voiceless” through participatory film making with his signature integrity and attention to craft. This includes an annual James Blue Award to a filmmaker whose work complements and represents James Blue’s values and vision. The first award was given to filmmaker and international human rights activist Kelly Matheson in 2014.

The mission of the James Blue Alliance:

Preserve, conserve, restore and showcase the archival legacy of award-winning filmmaker and revered educator James Blue.

Make available to scholars, students and the public, access to James Blue’s body of work for research and learning about his special approach to the art and craft of documentary filmmaking.

Implement a broad based educational initiative based on James Blue’s signature value, Respecting Diversity, beginning in schools in the U.S. and expanding around the world.

Support film educators, filmmakers, researchers and students who actively advance James Blue’s legacy of using media to explore, connect and empower voiceless communities through grants and scholarships.